Revelations, Discussions, and Silent Witnesses
by Siriusgirl1
Summary: The Pureblood had been gone a long time, preoccupied with the duties given to him by his lord father, and with the plans his future depended on. Nothing, however, could have prepared him for the actress's unexpected, and potentially dangerous revelation.


**A/N**

Well, okay, I thought that I had gotten over the urge to write Rido-fics, but, apparently, I haven't. It seems that a couple of days without said urge doesn't mean that it's gone. Ah well.

This one is...somewhat (and I say _somewhat_) darker than my other two Rido-related fics, and a bit more...er, suggestive? Or descriptive, maybe? I have no idea. All I know is that I didn't put much of what's in this one-shot into the other fics.

**Disclaimer: **Everything concerning "Vampire Knight" belongs to the wonderfully imaginative Hino Matsuri. I own nothing, and I get nothing from one-shots or fanfics like these.

* * *

**Revelations, Discussions, and Silent Witnesses**:

"Come now," he cajoled, seductively, as he stared at the figure standing with her back to him. Her burgundy hair, now somewhat longer than it had been when he had last seen her, was an uncharacteristic mess as it fell about her in a mixture of tangles and waves, making him absently wonder of what exactly had made her...act in this manner.

And he wondered some more as he noticed the...difference in her aura. It was not a big difference, but it certainly _was_ a tad bit different.

Again, he was curious as to what had happened; especially when whatever it was caused her to ignore him and to stare instead at the door that led to her room.

He _did_ like to think that he was irresistible –which was proven by the number of females who threw themselves at his feet, both Vampire _and_ human...although it did neither race any good- and her behaviour...was rather uncommon. There was only one woman he knew of who had resisted him and--

Shaking his head out of _that_ train of thought, he focused his mismatched eyes once more on the slender figure of the noble, who _still_ had her back turned to him as she stood in a rather defensive manner. "You might want to...do something, my dear, before I begin to think that you are ignoring me..." he paused when he saw her shoulders stiffen, and a smirk tugged the corners of his lips upward.

It was certainly good to know that she _did_ fear outright disrespecting him, a Pureblood, regardless of her usually fiery character. "And that would be quite rude...would you not say so?" he murmured, eyeing her tensed posture.

When she did not reply after a few, long moments, however, his face darkened. If there was one thing about the striking Pureblood, it was that he did _not_ like being ignored.

Even if the only one who _had_ ignored him was the one he loved and had been unable to attain.

Halting his thoughts before his mind could delve into _that_ again, he stalked forward briskly until he was standing directly behind the burgundy haired noble. "Turn around." As he had expected, she did not. "...I do not like to be ignored, you know that, do you not?" He still did not receive an answer, and suddenly found himself resisting the urge to growl.

He had had an exhausting few weeks what with following his father's orders _and_ seeing to it that his own plans were put into action, and he most certainly did _not_ visit her only to be ignored. "You do not want to make me repeat myself, _darling_," he taunted, mockingly, even as he allowed his aura to flare, knowing that she would sense it and thereby sense his displeasure.

"I am tired," said the noble, curtly, and she began to move away from him, stretching out her arm as she reached for the door handle.

As quick as a flash, he had his arms wrapped around her before he spun her around to face him, his mismatched eyes blazing as he burnt holes into her light blue eyes.

How _dare_ she walk away from him?

He had already had one woman do it to him and get away with it, but he was not weak enough to let another do the very same, even if she was nowhere near as dear as _she_ was.

"I warned you," he said, darkly, well aware of the fact that his fangs had lengthened due to the extreme emotion he was channelling. Tightening his grip on her arms until he saw her wince, he lowered his face to her neck, entranced by what he could hear of the blood gushing through her veins, and missing the way her eyes widened.

"No," she said, quickly, suddenly, as she raised her hands. "No, you cannot...you must not...Rido-sama, _no_!"

"Quiet," he growled, as he licked the soft, pale skin of her neck, his eyes glinting in anticipation. He felt her hands on his chest as she attempted to push him away, and growled once more as he further tightened his grip on her arms.

"_Listen _to me for once, and--"

"I _said_ 'quiet'..." he hissed, interrupting her. Before she could say anything further, however, he had his fangs plunged into her neck, right over the enticing vein that had caught his attention. Aware of how she tensed against him and ignoring the observation, he pulled his fangs out of her neck before plunging them in again, in a different spot, sucking on it for a moment or two before pulling away to bite down on another unmarked patch of skin on her neck. She whimpered at the third bite, and he ignored it easily, relishing in the fact that she had stopped trying to fight him, before making a new bite on her neck.

Over the last two years, he had found that _this_ method of drinking, of sating his thirst and bloodlust, was more enjoyable than the standard, single bite that was usually made.

He enjoyed it especially when it was a _human_ that he drank from, for they had not the resilience of control of a Vampire, and their cries...their struggles, were pleasing to the beast that had been awakened and that had been nurtured within him.

_No_, he thought, darkly amused, _it is no longer a beast that resides within me. I _am_ that beast. The beast is _me_._

He released one hand from its place around the noble's left arm and raised it higher, over her shoulder, over the unmarked side of her neck, over her jaw, trailing light touches on her skin as he did so, until he quite suddenly grabbed a handful of the burgundy locks at the back of her head and used his grip to tilt her head back, thereby giving him more access to her neck.

The rivulets of rich, sweet blood that flowed steadily into his waiting mouth were rather appetizing. Oh, yes, he _had_ fed while he was away...but he had to admit that he had not had the same satisfaction then that he had now.

And there were various reasons for that, of course. One of them being that those he fed from while he had been following his father's orders had been strangers to him, and therefore, he had no sort of connection with them.

But he _had_ a connection with this pretty, burgundy haired noble.

He smirked against her skin.

He _definitely_ had a connection with her, as, not only had he drunk from her before, but he had also _physically_ claimed her –more than once, in fact. And as such, he _knew_ her, his Vampire senses _knew_ her, and recognized her...and her blood was always welcome over others', which was why he enjoyed drinking from her.

His eyes were half closed as he allowed her fresh, sweet blood to sate his thirst and –a part of- his desires, when he felt her moan, sounding rather weak.

Snapping his mismatched blue and ruby eyes open, he stared up at what he could see of her face, reluctant to part his mouth from the red liquid that it liked. When she weakly attempted to push him away, however, he forced himself to straighten and look at her properly, a scowl on his lips.

"Whatever is the matter with you?" he snapped, his aura flaring once more. She had only ever pushed him away during the first two times that he had drunk from her, little over two years ago; the first time being when he had seen the young, recently-wed Kuran and made the discovery that she was a mother-to-be...and the second time being when he had endured his father's public ridicule and had taken his anger out on her. Other than those two times when she had fought back –she had even attempted to kick him where it most certainly _would_ have hurt, Pureblood or not- she had handled his drinking quite well, he thought.

So what was _this_ strange behaviour?

When she did not answer and he stared hard at her, he saw the slightly glazed look in her eyes and wondered if he had, perhaps, taken too much from her in his excitement. But he quickly dispelled the thought. She should be used to it by now. "This is the third time now that you have ignored me," he said, his face darkening along with his aura, "and I detest that. You know your place, do you not?"

She raised her defiant eyes to meet his.

"Oh yes, _Kuran_-sama, I do know my place. Very well, in fact," she said, the strain in her voice obvious to his ears. "Since I am sure that you have had your fill, that you have quenched your thirst, Kuran-sama, I think I will retire to my rooms. I do not...seem to be feeling--" She let out a winded, half-gasp as she found herself pressed against the door that led to her room. Her spine tingled with the sudden impact, but she did not show her pain.

"Are you attempting to give me orders?" questioned the dark haired Pureblood, his mismatched eyes now beacons in the dark hallway. He noticed her stare at him for a moment, before she shook her head.

"I would not dream of it, Kuran-sama," she said, quietly. "I am merely not feeling well, and therefore wish to retire early."

His eyes narrowed as he observed her, unable to detect any traces of a false truth from her –which happened quite often. He supposed that her talent as a very good actress did give her an advantage when it came to things like this, although it irked him that he could not tell if she was lying as often as he would have liked.

"I think _not_," he said, forcing a calm note in his voice even as he reached out with his well-attuned senses and scanned the entire household. The master of the house was in his study, he discovered, and his wife in their rooms on the floor above the one he was in. And he knew that the maids would not dare enter the residential quarters unless they were told to.

Which meant that he and his noble were _quite_ alone.

Moving his hand he stroked her face roughly, a smirk once again on his lips. "I came here for one thing, and I will _not_ leave until I get it," he whispered into her ear as he leaned forward, pressing her further against the door as he began nibbling on the tip of her ear, knowing –from experience- how sensitive an organ that was for her.

He was, therefore, slightly surprised when, instead of the usual, heated gasp that the action wrenched from her, she let out an angered hiss and forcefully turned her head to the side. While the action successfully removed her ear from his mouth, it also drew blood when his fangs scratched the tip of the ear.

_This is most odd_, he thought, distractedly, as he watched the red liquid begin to seep through the ragged bite on her ear, _she has not acted in this manner before..._

Despite this, however, he refused to be put off, and moved once more, trapping her against the door between his arms as he moved for her neck.

Although _this_ time, a hand was shoved over his face, rendering him incapable of doing what he wanted to.

This, he decided, was not something he was about to tolerate.

Pulling away completely, he glared dangerously at her, ignoring the weariness on her face and the paleness of her skin.

"_What_," he hissed, unfazed by the shattering of the decorative vases that adorned the sides of the hallway, as they failed to withstand his furious aura, "do you think you are doing?"

He saw her clear blue eyes widen as he raised a hand towards her, his nails lengthening into sharp, dangerous claws.

"R-Rido-sama, I-" She winced when the claws scratched her cheek as he slapped her with the back of his hand, drawing four red lines across her face. "Rido-sama, it is just-"

"Quiet, you foolish woman," he hissed, as he slapped her once more, drawing more lines over the ones he had already made. He saw her wince and smiled darkly. "You should have known not to deny me-"

"-But I have a reason!" snapped the burgundy haired noble, her pretty face now distressed and marred with his scratches. "A reason that-"

"Do _not_ interrupt me again if you do not want me to do something you will regret," he said, quietly, warningly.

"But I-"

"Do you _not_ understand your position, you senseless little-"

"-But I am-"

"That is _it_. I will _not_ tolerate any-"

"-I am with child!"

He froze abruptly.

And stared at her. For a long moment.

"What?" he managed, eventually. "What did you say?" He watched her face a bit dazedly, observing as she bit her lower lip in what he had long come to recognize as a nervous habit of hers.

Her eyes too, were not clear anymore; instead, there were murky, cloudy even.

"I...am with child," she whispered, holding his gaze.

Neither of the pair moved for a moment; they simply remained where there were, gazes locked on each other. Yet that silence was not there in his head. No, for her words were ricocheting around inside, painfully loud.

'_I am with child.'_

'_...with child...'_

'_-child...'_

_Child_. She was with... Just like _she_ had been, two years ago...except this time--

"-sama. Rido-sama. _Rido-_sama...?" Her calls brought him out of his frozen thoughts, and all he could do was stare at her, finding himself incapable of looking at anything else. "Are you...alright?"

The scowl that crossed his face was an automatic one.

"Yes," he said, "how very _kind_ of you to enquire after my health." His voice dripped with scorn. Scorn that he was not sure he really felt. In any case, his companion lowered her eyes away from his, choosing instead to stare at the ground, ignoring the haziness that was creeping into her vision due to her blood loss, and ignoring the pain on her neck and face.

But he cared not for what she felt.

_She was with _child_, for lord's sake! What did _that_ mean? In terms of his plans? In terms of his ambitions and worldly desires? _

"I..." her voice trailed off. "What are you...thinking?"

_But then...perhaps he was overreacting. After all, she merely said she was 'with child' –she did not specify _whose_ child it was, did she...?_

"You are with child?" he questioned, dully. She still stared at the ground, but she nodded in confirmation. "Is it mine?"

On hindsight, if he had been allowed to pull away from the vengeful path he had stalked down, he might have realized that that was, possibly, one of the most hurtful things he could have asked of her.

But that was not the case, and therefore, he did not understand why, when she finally raised her head to meet his eyes, there were tears in hers.

"How could you-" She stopped abruptly, clenching her hands into fists. "_No_, Kuran-sama," she hissed, voice quivering, "it is _not_ yours. It belongs to one of the many _other_ men I take to bed with me." When he continued to stare at her, however, it seemed as though she caved in on herself, for she slumped further against the door. "How could you ask that of me?" she whispered, her eyes shining. "You know me better than that...or so I had...hoped..."

His mind was in turmoil with the sudden revelation, and it was choosing to focus on the most _unimportant_ things, such as the hurt in her voice and the tears in her blue eyes.

They were irrelevant. There was something _bigger_ he had to worry about.

_Child_.

Without a further glance at her, he turned on his heel and stalked back down the corridor, heading towards the stairs as calmly as he could. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard the clear, distinct sound of a door being opened and then slammed shut with great force, but he ignored it and kept moving, hoping against hope that he would not meet anyone on the way to...wherever he was going.

For their sakes.

* * *

He did not know where he was, except for the fact that the endless, green lands were conveniently _empty_, and that he could allow himself to be alone with his thoughts.

And he certainly had a _lot_ of thoughts to sort out and deal with.

The burgundy haired noble had _not_ been lying; _that_ was why her aura had seemed different, because she _was_ with child. Not just any child, but...but...

..._his_ child.

Rido, Kuran _Rido_'s child.

Or was it more important that it was _Kuran_ Rido's child, the importance being that it was a _Kuran_, instead of that it was _his_?

He remembered, unwillingly yet all too clearly, the radiant smile that had been on _her_ face as she walked out of her rooms, the securely wrapped little bundle lying still in her arms as she proudly displayed the newest Kuran to the rest of the family.

He remembered the happiness that had been there on _his_ face, as he had wrapped his wife and newborn son in his protective embrace, sharing a secret look with the new mother –a look that only _they_ would understand.

He remembered the cooing of his mother, who did not rise from the chair she had been occupying, as she held smiled warmly at her two younger children, and her new grandchild.

He remembered the proud look on his father's beautiful, stern face as he held out his arms for the babe, warmly congratulating and praising the new parents.

And he remembered how he had spoken out loud, in false glee, out of the fear that they would hear the shattering of what little was left of his heart if he remained silent.

But he digressed.

There was a pretty noble, back in the Shiki household, who was with child; with _his_ child.

And they were not even bonded.

Hah, even _better_, _he_ was to be bonded to someone _else._ He was already promised to her, and her to him, everything having been arranged by his father, of course.

What was he to do in a situation such as this?

All his planning, all those years he had _spent_ planning, could not have prepared him for this piece of news –mainly because he would never have _accepted_ it. He was no saint, and that he knew, but he had always taken care to...avoid such occurrences, mainly due to his bloodline and place in society. He did not want to be creating dozens of half-Pureblood, half-whatever-their-mothers-were children after all.

But with her, with the talented, pretty actress... He smirked. Well, he supposed that he could _not_ have been as careful as he usually was with her, for if he was, then this would never have happened in the first place.

And despite his question –the one that had seemed to upset her- he knew that it _was_ his, simply because she did not have anyone else in her life. Oh, she could snag whoever she wanted; there was no doubt about that, for she was pretty, of good standing and famous. What more could a Vampire want? _Yet_, she had, gradually, grown to like him; she had grown to accept his attention instead of scowling it away; she had grown to _answer_ his attention instead of changing the topic; and he knew, quite clearly, that she had grown to _love_ him.

And it was that 'love' that prevented her from seeking out other bed-mates.

Not that it would have mattered, for she was _his_ –at least for the moment- and he would not have taken too kindly to her other playthings, if she had had any.

But again, _he digressed_.

What would this mean in terms of his...plans? Would it cause a glitch in them?

He shook his head. No, that was not possible, for, really, _what_ could a mere infant do to ruin his plans? Well, apart from incurring his father's wrath, that is...

His face paled slightly, although his eyes were quite suddenly crimson. _His father..._ The Vampire royal would consider him a disgrace, for fathering a child out of wedlock...that was certain. But..._that_ was _if_ the royal found out.

..._If_ the child...existed.

His fangs had lengthened once more as the darkness within him, the darkness that_ was_ him, stirred.

All it would take was to erase the child, the babe, from existence...and he could achieve it easily, this very day, by killing its mother. With the mother dead, the child within her would die. It was a simple and breathtakingly _non_-difficult solution.

Kill the noble.

Kill the child.

Kill...

...my child...

_My_ child...

_My_ woman...

Kill my child; kill my woman.

_That_, he thought, somewhat morosely, _would be a waste._ The noble _was_ quite pretty, and he could let some of his guard down around her –or rather, he _had_ done that, before. And...she was quite the passionate creature, similar, in some ways, to him.

The child was –or would have been, since he did not know when exactly it was...conceived- created with passion, in a _bout_ of passion. And while passion may not be the same as love, it was still powerful –it still _meant_ something.

There would be no passion when creating a child with the Pureblood promised to him, for they cared not for each other, and the act would be one of duty, rather than passion...and 'love' was completely out of the question.

... No, he would not kill them, either of them. The child would be born, and its existence kept secret from the rest of their society. He would find some use for the child, somewhere or the other, and would think on what else to do when he achieved his one remaining desire; _gaining the throne_.

But...his plans...

Would not be interrupted or changed by the child. The child would possibly not even know of him, the father.

And, just as importantly, the child's great-uncle would be very pleased with its existence, and therefore, would be even _more_ loyal to him.

The more he weighed out his options, the better his decision sounded to him. It would all be for the best.

He nodded in agreement with himself.

Besides, if things were to somehow go wrong for him, if he was fatally wounded, or injured, it would be...helpful to have a thing of _his_ own blood around, for with his unique power, he would be able to utilize his own flesh and blood for whatever suited him.

His decision made, he sighed once, before turning on his heel again.

* * *

"Rido-sama?" The elder Vampire looked surprised for the briefest of moments. "Forgive me, you surprised me." And surprise him he had, for he had suddenly appeared before the Shiki patriarch, on the stairs no less.

The striking Pureblood waved a hand casually at his ally. "Is there something the matter, Rido-sama?"

"Ah, no," said the Pureblood, nonchalantly. "I am simply here for a...social call."

There was a knowing look in the older Vampire's eyes.

"I see," he said. "I trust that your travels were successful?"

"Quite."

"Very well then, I am afraid that I am late, Rido-sama," said the Shiki Elder. "If I would excuse me..." The dark haired Pureblood nodded as his companion bowed, before he continued on his way up the stairs.

A moment later found him standing outside the very door he had stood outside earlier. Sensing no movement but knowing that the room _was_ occupied, he pushed it open and was inside in one quick movement, closing the door behind him.

He did not need to allow his eyes to adjust to the semi dark light of the room, nor did he need to look around to get his bearings. There may have been a time, two years ago, where he would have taken in the details of the room, out of interest, but he had been a frequent visitor to the place...and knew all the detail he needed to know.

The details being the size of the bed and the location of the only other exit in the room –the windows.

He smirked as he stalked towards the occupied bed, having masked his presence long before, as had become a habit of his.

Staring down at the silk sheet covered figure, he dryly noted that even when resting, she had her back turned to him. Just like it had been earlier in the day.

Holding back a sigh, he stared at her petite figure –or what he could see of it- for a brief moment before he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched, and turned around warily, her eyes squinted. The eyes widened slightly when she saw him, before she soon turned her back to him again.

He frowned at this and tugged on her shoulder, attempting to turn her around once more but finding that she resisted him.

"Will you turn around?" he asked finally, somewhat impatiently.

He saw her shake her head.

"Are you not going to_ order_ me? To _threaten_ me?" she hissed, and he was unsurprised to detect the hostility in her voice.

He had to be the bigger person here, that much he knew.

"No, perhaps not today," he said, absently. A few moments later, however, he let out an annoyed huff as she continued to stay where she was, with her back towards him.

_Great_, he thought, _a temperamental woman._ He smirked. But he had known that about her ages ago. "Come now, there is no need to act so childish and-"

"_Childish_? _Childish_?" echoed the burgundy haired noble, as she turned so that she was lying on her back, her eyes blazing. "_I_ am acting _childish_? Was _I_ the one who was threatening others, who was hurting others, simply because I could not get what I wanted?"

_On the bright side_, he pondered_, at least she turned around_.

"Yes, you _are_ being childish," he said, forcing the dark amusement out of his voice, for it really _was_ amusing. To him, at least, not to her. "For you are hiding from me."

She gaped at him before recollecting whatever she could of her dignity.

"No, I am not _hiding_ from you, _Kuran-_sama," she said, addressing him too formally, which she did when she was angered. "I merely do not wish to see you." And as she turned her head away from him, he caught a glimpse of the dried trails that leaked from her eyes, as well as the not yet healed scars on her cheek.

Ah, that was his handiwork. It was _all_ his handiwork.

As she turned her back to him once more, he ran his hand through his thick, silky dark hair, knowing that this needed to be dealt with, for her sake, at least.

And also if he wanted to avoid another headache.

Shaking his head, he eyed the bed instead, carefully taking in the space between the side that was before him and the burgundy haired noble. It would be a tight squeeze, he realized after a moment, but there was nothing else to it.

So he quickly rid himself of his favoured coat, tossing it towards the chair that he knew was behind him, before kicking his shoes off his feet uncaringly.

Before she even had time to _think_ of protest, he had grabbed hold of the edge of the silk covers and slid himself under them.

"What are you –kindly get out of my bed."

"No."

He felt her tense.

"I mean it."

"Good."

The scent of her blood –dried though it was- was tempting him, and he forcefully took hold of the dark beast, holding it at bay. For the moment, at least.

"Why will you not _understand_?! I said _leave_!"

"I know."

"Then –then leave!"

"No."

She was shaking now, and he knew from her aura that it was from anger.

"Why will you not listen to me?"

He shrugged as he stared at the room's high ceiling, only bringing his right hand up to rest behind his head for he had no space to do the same with his left hand –not without poking his companion (he laughed softly in his head, supposing that she should be a _bit_ more than a 'companion', given the circumstances) in the neck with his elbow. He did not need her _more_ rankled.

"Because," he said, realizing he had not answered her.

"Because?" she prompted.

"Because I do not feel like doing so." He smirked at the ceiling as her angered aura grew. "Besides, it is nice and warm here. There is no need for me to move simply because you are sulking about something or the other."

His smirk widened as she growled, and it turned into a victorious smirk when she turned around, an angered expression on her face as she brought her clenched fist towards him. He easily caught her fist and held it tightly, before throwing himself forward and using her momentum against her.

She was soon lying with her back against the mattress as he half-knelt, half-lay over her, still holding on to her fist.

"Get off me," she hissed, as she squirmed underneath him.

He smirked widely.

"No," he said, "and I would stop moving if I were you. At least until I have said what I came here to say. We can...do _that_ later." He laughed at the venomous look the burgundy haired Vampire sent him, half-pleased and half-disappointed as she stopped her squirming.

"I hate you," she whispered, heatedly.

He quirked an eyebrow, well aware that she would usually not have allowed herself to say that –for despite her fiery character, she _did_ know that a Pureblood must be respected. Even if she did sleep with him.

But he let it go just this once, surmising that she must be _quite_ upset.

"I am sure," he said, dryly. "Now, as long as you are just lying there...allow me to speak my mind." He paused, only then noticing the multiple, savage bites on her neck, still unhealed and covered with dried blood. He _had_ taken too much from her after all. But that was irrelevant at the present moment.

He stared down at her pale face, a far-away expression appearing on his face. "You will keep the child, and raise it. No one will know who its sire is, for that would be a terrible inconvenience." He paused. "Well. I suppose your uncle and aunt would need to know, obviously, but...none else." His gears in his mind were turning quickly. "I know not what I will do with the child, but at the moment, I think that it should be raised just as a higher-up noble would be raised; a good private education, good manners and decorous speech...and of course, an education in the ways of our society."

He used the hand that was not occupied to absently massage his chin. "I will, of course, not be actively involved in the child's upbringing. No, I will not be involved at all. It will see me as a superior, and treat me with respect without knowing who I really am to him..." He nodded absently, as though agreeing with something or the other. "That is all at the moment. Of course, things might change in the future, but until then... ..."

His voice trailed off as he glanced down and saw the expression on the burgundy haired woman's face.

The sorrowful expression on her face. "What?" he asked, annoyed. "I said you may keep the child, did I not?"

"I do not need _your_ permission!" she half yelled, forgetting all about dignity. "It is _your_ fault this has happened in the first place! If you had exercised greater caution, then perhaps-"

"_My _fault?" he echoed, his mismatched eyes widening slightly. "Surely you know all about the 'ways of life' by now, my dear? And then you will know that it takes _two_ people for...this to happen." His eyes narrowed. "Perhaps _you_ should have taken greater care. For I _know_ I was careful."

"_Oh_?" He did not like the challenge in her voice. "You were not 'careful' that time at the theatre. When the play was complete."

A dark smirk formed on his lips as he vaguely recalled the incident she was speaking of.

"Ah...yes, that _was_ quite a pleasant experience, I must say."

"_And_ it led to _this_."

"It was only _once_," he clarified.

The noble nodded.

"And it was _enough_ to leave me with child."

_Damn_, he thought, _so that was it_.

He shrugged.

"In any case," he said, "as I mentioned before, you may keep it and raise it until--what _now_?"

"The child is not a...not an object! He or she is a breathing, living thing!"

"I should hope so," he muttered, amazed as she growled in anger once more. "Woman!" he exclaimed, as she attempted to kick him, "what is the matter with you?!"

When she chose to stare furiously at him, however, he found his expression darkening just as the beast rose once more. "Look here, you ungrateful fool," he hissed, as he leaned forward so he was closer to her, closing the gap between their bodies. "I have thought this through, and you should be grateful that I have decided to let the child live. I have plans and goals, and I do not intend on spoiling them –_look at me when I am speaking to you._"

He gripped her chin with his hand as she made to look away from his blazing mismatched eyes. "This is a risk, for if anyone were to find out..." He gripped her chin tighter, knowing that it would bruise, just as he knew she was not struggling because she was still weak. "If anyone were to find out, I would have to kill you both. As it is..." he trailed off, bringing the hand away from her chin, down her neck, and over to her chest.

His claws had elongated once more. "...As it is, all I need to do is kill _you_, and I will be free of this headache." He grinned depravedly. "And tell me, what will stop me from doing that, right here, right now? Hmm...?"

Her blue eyes, he noticed, were misting over, and he watched the inner struggled play out across her face as she attempted to stop the tears from falling. She had always been a proud, stubborn thing after all.

When she spoke, her voice was soft.

"You speak of your plans and goals," she said, voice quivering slightly, "what of mine, Rido-sama?" She shook her head. "I am an actress, as you know. In a few months, my...physique will change. It will be very noticeable. A woman with child cannot act, Rido-sama –no one will _allow_ her to act, and with good reason."

She paused, lying still as she stared up at him. "I am still young –in Vampire terms, anyway- and I had never expected to carry a child so early. Do you think I _wanted_ this? I knew what you would do when you heard of it, I knew how you would react, and I had hoped...I had hoped that I would be proved wrong. But it was for naught..."

"What?"

There was a sad expression on her pretty face.

"You ran away, Rido-sama," she said. "When I told you I was with child, you ran away." He watched as the first salty droplet seeped out of her overflowing eyes. "I know that you are a Pureblood, and that you have been...promised to someone else. I knew that you would not be a part of the child's life...y-yet I thought that...since it would be _your_ own flesh and blood, that you would...that you would not -- but you ran away, Rido-sama. You ran away."

_What the-?_

"I need not defend my actions to _you_," he said, coolly.

She laughed sadly at that.

"No, you need not," she agreed. "And I have never asked you to. I may have willingly given myself to you, Rido-sama, after that...first time..." Her eyes darkened at the memory of it, although his eyes brightened. "But I am not unintelligent, so do not seek to insult me, please. I knew that you did not feel anything for me, you would _never_ feel anything for me, yet I did not care. For I knew that it was not I whom you loved, and I was –and still am- _far_ from being her."

He watched as she sniffed, seemingly unaware of the tears trailing out of her eyes and into her hair. "And I was horrified to find that I was with child, for what would you care for a child, an illegitimate child, when you cared naught for his or her mother? Yet, still I was willing to..." she shook her head, her voice trailing off. "I only have one thing to say, Rido-sama. I know not what your plans or goals are, but I will ask that you leave this child out of them."

"Why would you think that I would involve it in anything?" he questioned, a dangerous note in his voice.

"Because you would not say that I should keep and raise the child if you had no use for him or her in the future."

_Well now_, he thought, after a long moment, _this is potentially dangerous._

"You would do well to _forget _about my plans and goals in the future, for you own sake," he said, his voice low.

"Of course, Rido-sama. It is not like what you do is of any use to me, after all. Nor will it benefit me, even if there _was_ a way to save my reputation once the child is birthed."

There was a hollow expression in her eyes as she looked away from him, the silent tears still flowing, before she closed her eyes. The dark haired Pureblood continued to stare down at her, his mind whirring with different thoughts that he struggled to control.

Just as he struggled to control his beast. For the burgundy haired noble was _very_ vulnerable in her current position; lying on her back with her eyes closed and her neck exposed. In addition to that, she was still weak from her blood loss. And the dried blood on her ear, neck and face was calling to the beast, teasing it, taunting it...

But he grabbed it, forcing his authority over it.

For he knew, somehow, that now was not the time to do that. It was not...appropriate. And besides, he knew now why she had fought him earlier, as he drank from her; it could potentially harm the child within her, who was also nurtured by her blood, it being a Vampire child.

For all his talk of not allowing another headache to _add_ to the ones he already had...he seemed to have failed.

Why else was there a heaviness within him as he watched the silent tears that continue to course down the woman's face?

Sighing ever so softly, he placed his mouth over the jagged, blood-caked wounds on the slender neck before him, pulling away when he felt her tense. Yet she did not fight him, and he felt a pang somewhere in him as she resigned herself to her fate.

She was...she appeared to have given up.

Which was most unlike her.

Frowning slightly, he repeated his earlier action, and pressed his mouth against her neck; although it was not in an attempt to drink from her again. Instead, he caressed the jagged, torn skin with his tongue, knowing that his advanced healing abilities would at least take _some_ of the pain from her.

Not that he cared if she was in pain or not, he thought, a little too quickly for his liking.

She let out a barely audible sigh as he moved his mouth's attention further along her neck, before moving on to her scratched ear. She writhed under him, for he knew that she liked it when he...paid special attention to her ear, yet there was no victorious smirk on his face as he continued with his strangely gentle healing ministrations.

And that fact...alarmed him, somewhat.

His mouth was on the scratches on her face, next, and after a moment, the long, thin lines were gone. Satisfied, he pulled his face away slightly, and proceeded to observe the burgundy haired woman for a brief moment, taking in her squeezed-shut eyes...her pale skin...and the tears on her face.

If anyone were to ask him why he bothered to do away with the tears on her cheeks, kissing them away, he would shrug as enigmatically as he always did, with a darkly attractive allure about him.

If anyone were to ask him why he then pulled himself off the half-delirious noble and lay beside her, he would say he did not know.

If they wondered why he slowly, carefully, pulled her to him and secured the silk sheets around them, they would not receive an answer from him.

If they wondered why he stayed in the bed as the noble drifted away into sleep, keeping his arm around her, he would say it was because he had been warm and comfortable where he was.

He would say that it was no one's business as to why he reached out and absently twirled a lock of her long, soft burgundy hair around his finger, or why he rested a hand over her slightly curved stomach, running said hand lightly over the area –and his glare would prevent anyone from asking further questions.

But no one had the opportunity to ask him anything, and he did not get the chance to shrug, or to glare, or to give any answers at all.

For he was long gone by the time the burgundy haired noble woke next, and she too knew not of his continued presence by her side, as she slept on.

Nor did she know that the dark, at times clearly depraved Pureblood had gently, _very_ uncharacteristically, placed his lips against the slightly curved expanse of her stomach, for _he was to become a father_ after all.

She did not know of the pensive look in his mismatched eyes as he stared at her stomach, wondering if she nurtured within her a boy or a girl.

For he was long gone, and the walls could not, did not, would not, speak of what they saw.

And they would never see what they _had_ seen, ever again.

Instead, they would bear silent witness to the slow deterioration of their mistress' mental health, as the years rolled by.

They would watch a lonely boy grow up slowly, unaware of the history shared by his beloved yet mentally-absent mother, and the father who had never been there to carry him on his shoulders.

And they would not mourn the past, for it was not theirs to mourn.

* * *

**A/N**

TOO LONG! ARGH! I tried, I swear that I tried to cut it down, but I found that it didn't work _as_ well. So I had no choice but to leave it as it is. And I didn't want to split it up into two chapters, because it would take away whatever pace or momentum there was.

Sigh.

Anyways, hope you liked it.

Keeping smiling,

Siriusgirl1


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